My name is Carter LaCorte and I am a 5th grader from Long Island, NY. I started this blog so I could write articles about the NHL and MLB. My favorite teams are the New York Yankees and the New York Islanders.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

NHL playoff preview: Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators

The best part of the NHL season is playoff time, and that time is now! So, I'll be previewing each and every series. Here, I'll be previewing the best of the west, the Chicago Blackhawks, facing the wild card Nashville Predators. Both teams have stud defensemen, and weapons on front. First, let's look at the teams.

Chicago Blackhawks
They've won 3 Cups in the 2010s. Stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have been the stars on all 3. They're joined by Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin to form 4 solid lines that can score, even though they don't have the greatest depth. Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Nicklas Hjalmarsson, Johnny Oduya and Brian Campbell will all factor. Goaltender Corey Crawford is underrated, and can control a game.

Nashville Predators
When they traded captain Shea Weber, they got P.K. Subban. He joined with Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis to make a good core. Ryan Johansen is a star center. Filip Forseberg and Viktor Arvidsson join him to make a scoring first line James Neal is also a good winger. Pekka Rinne is getting older, but can still control a hockey game, with the ability to make 35 saves without allowing a goal.

My prediction: Chicago Blackhawks
They have experience. A lot of their core have won multiple cups. But, when they won their last cup (2015), most of the team (players and coaches) said their toughest series that postseason was their first round matchup against Nashville. But, I think the Hawks overpower the Preds by a lot, expect on defense, but it's very close.